It appears to me that we have a legit backup QB

[Jaxcat]

I know it was 7-on-7, but KSR had ~3 minutes of highlights of 7-on-7 competition and both Minchey and Ward looked very good. Ball placement was excellent and both seemed to go through progressions quickly and find an open receiver. Totally different when a rush is on - I get it - but Ward continues to look legit to me. Has a good arm, seems to have above average football IQ and just looks like an SEC QB. I hope Minchey is so good in multiple games that Ward takes a ton of snaps during the season. I just have a feeling that he could be the starter next year. God forbid Minchey gets hurt, but I also sense that (unlike certain previous staffs) we're actually developing a solid backup who can come in run and the offense instead of handing off on 3 consecutive dive plays (with maybe a quick bubble screen thrown in). It would be a very welcome change for this fan.

[Matt Dillon]

I'm high on Ward as well. I'm glad he didn't jump ship.

[largebluej]

It's not out of the question that if he shows up in the fall instead of opting for MLB Matt Ponatowski will be the backup QB.

[Trueblujr]

I know it was 7-on-7, but KSR had ~3 minutes of highlights of 7-on-7 competition and both Minchey and Ward looked very good. Ball placement was excellent and both seemed to go through progressions quickly and find an open receiver. Totally different when a rush is on - I get it - but Ward continues to look legit to me. Has a good arm, seems to have above average football IQ and just looks like an SEC QB. I hope Minchey is so good in multiple games that Ward takes a ton of snaps during the season. I just have a feeling that he could be the starter next year. God forbid Minchey gets hurt, but I also sense that (unlike certain previous staffs) we're actually developing a solid backup who can come in run and the offense instead of handing off on 3 consecutive dive plays (with maybe a quick bubble screen thrown in). It would be a very welcome change for this fan.

Unless Minchey blows up like the last three guys Stein coached, he has two years of eligibility left. So if Ward is that good, it may be him looking elsewhere to get more PT, especially if Nowart or Ponatoski are as good as advertised. I liked what I saw of Ward in the Spring game. He’s quite a bit bigger than Minchey too.

[Trueblujr]

It's not out of the question that if he shows up in the fall instead of opting for MLB Matt Ponatowski will be the backup QB.

Unless he redshirts. But if they go to a 5/5 rule, redshirts will essentially be done away with.

[largebluej]

Unless he redshirts. But if they go to a 5/5 rule, redshirts will essentially be done away with.

I agree that redshirts seem to be going the way of the dodo. But even if they don't, I'll be surprised if Matt P redshirts. He has the makings of a unicorn.

[Jaxcat]

Unless Minchey blows up like the last three guys Stein coached, he has two years of eligibility left. So if Ward is that good, it may be him looking elsewhere to get more PT, especially if Nowart or Ponatoski are as good as advertised. I liked what I saw of Ward in the Spring game. He’s quite a bit bigger than Minchey too.

Sadly, that may indeed be the case.

[Jaxcat]

It's not out of the question that if he shows up in the fall instead of opting for MLB Matt Ponatowski will be the backup QB.

Unless Ponatowski is extremely unusual, I can't imagine he'll be QB2 with no spring practice and no collegiate experience. He may have the physical ability, but I would certainly hope that Ward is a more polished QB at this level (for now, anyway). If we're playing a true FR at QB with next to no experience should Minchey get dinged up, we're in for a long, long season.

[Trueblujr]

I agree that redshirts seem to be going the way of the dodo. But even if they don't, I'll be surprised if Matt P redshirts. He has the makings of a unicorn.

My only thing with Matt P is that I think at some point he will have to make a decision on which sport to focus on and which sport he has the highest future potential in. I don't see how he can participate fully in Spring Practice when he's playing baseball as well. Take this year's Spring game for example, he wouldn't have been able to participate because of the baseball game that was going on simultaneously. So his competing for his spot on the depth chart is going to come with some obstacles. This is all assuming he comes to college in the first place.

[Trueblujr]

Sadly, that may indeed be the case.

If we can keep Minchey healthy and around for two seasons, I'll accept Ward moving on. This year is going to be interesting enough as it is, but our 2027 schedule gets significantly easier (compared to this years). I'm looking at 2027 as a year where we can make some serious noise and having a second year QB in the system would help that greatly.